~ Musings of a Bean Counter

Stoma & UTI

Went to a walk-in clinic yesterday, cos I couldn’t wait to see my regular GP. The visit was amusing for myself, though I was partially doubled over in pain. Because of my medical history I am not your average everyday patient who can be found sitting in a medical clinic’s waiting room – I don’t go in cos I have a splinter in my finger, a slight cold, or I stubbed my toe whilst vacuuming about the flat. I go in to see a GP cos I need meds, no other reason – and I really hate taking meds, I try to avoid it all costs.

I was amused mostly because of the reaction I got from the doctor. He had this world-weary look on his face, prolly thinking that I was yet another stupid bint coming in to complain about allergies or something equally minor. He asked me what I thought the problem was and I said I am feeling some severe abdominal pain in and around my stoma. As soon as I said “stoma” his ears and eyes perked up — I wasn’t a normal run of the mill patient, I had an interesting history.

He made me take my trousers off and expose rosebud to him – normally one does not need to expose one’s stomach when coming in to get a UTI handled. He just wanted to see rosebud; took off the dressing I normally keep over her so that my underwear doesn’t irritate her… the dressing was soaked in blood, so obviously there was something wrong. He wrote out a script for me and I expressed a desire for a urine culture to be taken – his response being that they do not keep size 14FR catheters at the clinc.. I laughed and asked how he thought I drained during the day, I keep a “pee kit” with me at all times.

So he agreed to the urine test and I was fully prepared to go to the obligatory toilet with little cup but was told to stay still, a nurse would be coming by. I got 2 nurses to “help me” while I cath’d – one was a student nurse who had only ever seen pictures of stomas and another who wanted to bone up on the topic. So while I was draining I was peppered with questions.

I am to go back in for an ultrasound as the doctor was not happy with the abdominal pain and the fact that rosebud is bleeding profusely. There is a fear that I may have bladder stones or some other such nonsense.

I am currently hopped up on codeine and am taking Noroxin at 400mg x2 for 7 days. Hopefully it will work.

I hate taking Noroxin, mostly cos prolonged exposure to the drug can cause kidney damage – or atleast that’s what my urologist tells me. Plus it gives me insominia. The next step up is Levesquin – both are in the “floxin” family of drugs, but Levesquin makes my heart race super quick, which freaks me out.

I am due to see the urologist on April 6th for another of the many endless post-op visits. If I didn’t have a stoma I would be due for my bi-annual cystoscopy and urodynamics – but can’t have that with a sealed off urethra, I believe.. definately not the urodynamics; the cysto I can still see happening as it’s just a scope threaded into the bladder to check in the inner lining, and that can easily be done through the stoma.. I think.. the biggest that rosebud has been exposed to is a size 14FR and I think the scope tends to be more like a size 16FR or 18FR.